Barack Obama Drops Advice For Election Night, Asks Americans Not to ‘Share Things Before Checking Your Sources’
AP Photo/John Minchillo
Former President Barack Obama urged Americans to be patient as election results trickle in after polls close Tuesday and specifically cautioned against falling for misinformation about the election.
The country’s 44th president noted that in the previous election, it took days for his former VP Joe Biden to declare victory over his opponent – then-President Donald Trump.
“It took several days to count every ballot in 2020, and it’s very likely we won’t know the outcome tonight either,” Obama posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday afternoon. “So please keep a few things in mind as you make your voice heard today.” Obama added:
– Thousands of election workers around the country are working hard today. Respect them. Thank them.
– Don’t share things before checking your sources.
– Let the process run its course. It takes time to count every ballot.
While the 2020 election was held on Nov. 3 of that year, the race was not called until four days later on Saturday, Nov. 7.
CNN called the race at 11:24 a.m. ET days after the final ballots had been cast, with anchor Wolf Blitzer breaking the news:
After four long, tense days, we have reached a historic moment in this election. We can now project the winner of the presidential race. CNN projects Joseph R. Biden Jr. is elected the 46th president of the United States, winning the White House and denying President Trump a second term. We are able to make this projection because CNN projects Biden wins Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania could again decide the victor of the 2024 race for the White House, according to election forecasters. Polls have shown the commonwealth a statistical tie between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
As Deadline noted, other networks quickly followed suit as CNN called the race for Biden amid days of false claims about election rigging from Trump and his allies.:
NBC News followed at 11:24 AM, MSNBC at 11:25 AM, CBS News at 11:25 AM, ABC News at 11:26:20 AM, the Associated Press at 11:28 AM, and Fox News at 11:40 AM.
